Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Thursday that 10 cases of Omicron have been detected in the capital so far and 40 people are admitted to the special facility at Lok Nayak Hospital meant for isolating and treating suspected cases of the new Covid variant. Of the 40 people, 38 are COVID-19 positive. “A total of 10 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in Delhi so far. One of them has been discharged,” Jain told reporters. The minister said many international travellers are turning out Covid positive upon arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The Chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, Gita Gopinath, on Thursday said that the Omicron variant is expected to be the dominant version over the next one month, however, it is less severe than delta. “The high number of cases can impact medical centres. There could be travel restrictions being imposed if Omicron spreads (faster). Need the whole world to get vaccinated or you will keep getting new variants of COVID-19,” she said.
Experts have told the Maharashtra Cabinet that a large number of Omicron cases are expected in Maharashtra in January, in an alarming warning. According to health experts, these patients will not just be from big cities, but also smaller towns. Following the alarm bells, CM Uddhav Thackeray has directed the health administration to undertake a vaccination drive to complete double doses at the earliest.
Maharashtra recorded a sharp rise of 27% in daily Covid numbers in 24 hours. While the state registered 684 cases on Tuesday, the tally rose to 925 on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom recorded the highest-ever daily number of coronavirus cases on Thursday.
Four new Omicron cases were reported in Kerala on Wednesday evening, taking the state tally to five. Kerala had reported its first Omicron case earlier this month when a returnee from the UK was confirmed to be down with the new Covid strain. Two of the fresh Omicron cases are the mother and wife of the first patient, who were on his contact list. They have been isolating.
Meanwhile, India on Thursday harped on the need for vaccines to battle the COVID-19 situation in the world, especially as the virus keeps mutating. “If we need to have any sustainable recovery from the pandemic, it should start with vaccines,” India’s Permanent Representative to UN TS Tirumurti said speaking at a joint PBC-ECOSOC meeting on ‘promoting durable peace & sustainable development in the context of recovery from COVID-19 pandemic.
